Here With You
by A.Baroness
Summary: When Daphne wakes up from a nightmare, it is up to Niles to comfort her. One-shot. Birthday story for Leigh Ann!
**A/N** : HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEIGH ANN! I wanted to write OUAT, but then this story, inspired by a real life event, wouldn't leave me alone. I feel like I've written something like this before? If I did, I'm sorry. Some angst, some fluff. I hope you like it! :)

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Daphne struggled to wake up. Pictures exploded in front of her eyes; horrid scenes that she was unable to stand even if a part of her registered that they were not real. Finally, her eyes opened. Daphne gasped into the darkness. Just a nightmare, she chanted mentally. She was surrounded by darkness and the gentle, steady sound of Niles' breathing. She carefully leaned over him to see the time: 4.15 a.m. She took a deep breath trying to tame the fear that way. It didn't work.

"Daphne? Are you all right?" Niles' voice sounded as tired as Daphne felt. He had barely moved and she doubted he was really awake. Her antics must have woken him up. She would have felt guilty about it, but she couldn't think straight with that nightmare still looming in her mind.

"I'm fine, Niles. Go back to sleep." She whispered. Except that those words must have been the wrong ones. Instead she felt him sit up beside her. His face came closer to hers as if to inspect it. He couldn't see well in the darkness and neither of them thought to turn on the lights.

"You don't look fine." He said.

"You can't see me in the darkness, Niles." Daphne said and tried to see the humor in all of this. She couldn't; her mind was darkened by what she had experienced in that dream.

"I can always see you," he told her, taking her hand. She flinched and took in a shaky breath. "You're scaring me. Did you have a dream?"

"Yes." Was all she said. She put her other hand over Niles' to show him she was thankful for his concern. His hand felt so warm. She wished she could take some of that warmth for herself.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." She sobbed. How could she explain any of this to him? It had been a dream. Just a dream. The specifics were quickly running away from her; as if they were afraid of themselves too. Just one thing remained. One image. And the haunting moment refused to leave her alone.

"I can – I could maybe help you." Daphne noticed how carefully he chose his words. Soon after they started dating, she told him all about the nightmares she used to have as a child. There had been nights when she had been so afraid to go back to sleep that she snuck into her parents' closet, draped herself with a coat and slept there. Her family had found it funny and cute. No one had ever considered sending Daphne to a specialist. Those, after all, were only for the crazy people and clearly their daughter wasn't one of them.

"It's fine, Niles. It was just a silly nightmare." Like back when she was a child. Sometimes her mother would ask her during breakfast how she'd slept. If she'd had any dreams. Eventually Daphne had settled on 'silly nightmare'. No need to worry.

"You know I'm-"

"I know you're a psychiatrist. I'm not crazy, Niles!"

"I didn't say you were," she tried to take her hands away from him but he wouldn't let her, "I know that nightmares can be scary. I love you and the thought of you suffering makes me sad. That's all, my love."

"Oh, Niles, I'm so sorry. It was all just so… real."

"I'm here if you want to talk. You know that, right?"

"You should sleep."

"Nah, we can just sleep in tomorrow. It's Saturday."

"I still have to see your father, you know." Daphne wished she could see Niles' face. She imagined he was pouting and it almost made her smile. At least the imagery pushed the scenes from her nightmare further and further away.

"I guess we should try to get back to sleep?"

"I guess." Daphne started playing with Niles' fingers. Such beautiful fingers, she thought, when that image shot back into her mind. Gasping, she let his hand fall to the bed.

"Daphne?"

"That stupid nightmare."

"Are you sure you don't want to – you know what? Don't tell me. I'll tell you something instead."

"What?" Daphne wiped her silent tears away. She didn't want Niles to worry about her. She knew it always hit him hard whenever she wasn't feeling well.

"Once upon a time-"

"Niles, seriously?" Daphne laughed through her tears.

"Shhh, it's story time. So, once upon a time there was a strong, beautiful woman who decided to travel the seven worlds."

"Seven worlds?"

"It's my story. It'll make sense in the end, trust me." Oh yes, she trusted him. And so Daphne just listened and got lost in the quite ridiculous story Niles told her. Just the sound of his steady, beautiful voice was enough to reassure her that the demons of her nightmare couldn't catch her – or him. The things he told her seemed to be touched by light and it lit everything inside her that was dark and dreadful.

"… just close your eyes, Daphne."

"That's not part of the story." She mumbled. Her body was heavy and her eyes just wanted to close. If only she wasn't consumed by fear of what she might see there.

"I promise I'll be here. Nothing can happen to you if I'm right here, right? Because I wouldn't let anything, or anyone, hurt you."

"No, you wouldn't. That's the problem." Daphne could no longer stop the tears from falling.

"What do you mean?"

"In my dream. You told me 'just go'. That's what you said to me and-" Niles put a finger on her lips.

"You don't have to tell me. It was just a dream and I'm here with you. It's just us. No one else."

"That's true." She agreed with a sob.

"Do you want to hear the rest of the story?" Daphne nodded.

"But Niles?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Can you hold me? Just hold me. So I know you're really there."

"Turn around." He whispered into her ear and Daphne did as she was told. A moment later she felt him spoon up behind her. His arm went around her and his head was so close to hers that his breath tickled her with every word he said.

"Now, where was I?"

"I love you, Niles." Daphne told him with a sigh.

"I love you, too. To be fair, though, that's not part of the story."

"I don't care." All she cared about that he was here with her at this moment in time. Tentatively, she closed her eyes. She felt his warmth and the solidness of his body close to her. She waited there in her mental darkness; would the demons find her again? Would they try to take Niles away from her? His voice reached her at that fine line between sleep and wakefulness. It pushed her over, caught her before she hit the ground and she slept. Without a demon in sight.

 **THE END**


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